The Heiress’ Return: Six Brothers at Her Beck and Call (Wynter Quinnell) novel Chapter 1858

The team members were not far from the van, watching as the two people smoked. Sheldon crouched down and slowly approached the van. When he saw Wolf in the mirror, he knocked on the window.

Wolf squinted, then opened his eyes wide upon recognizing Sheldon before slowly rolling down the window. Sheldon then handed over a phone, signaling for Wolf to type a message.

Wolf understood immediately, took the phone, and began typing rapidly. Once done, he handed the phone back to Sheldon and rolled up the window.

Just then, Meade and Gerald finished smoking and were about to return. Seeing this, Sheldon crouched back down by the team and pulled out the phone to read the message.

It said, "Don't worry about me for now. Look for an old man on the ship. He has a strange smell—the same one I smelled at the municipal building."

Sheldon pocketed the phone and pretended to walk around with the team. In reality, they were observing the surroundings, keeping an eye out for an old man on the ship. Since Wolf had ordered them to search for someone, that person was sure to be no ordinary individual.

However, after walking around for a while, they found no suspicious old man, so they returned to their starting point.

Just as they were running out of ideas, one of the team members spoke up. "Mr. Bridger, is it possible that the old man L mentioned isn't here, but inside?"

Sheldon rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, then said, "That could be the case. You all stay here while I go check the inside."

He turned and walked toward the ship's interior. When he reached a door, someone reached out to stop him. "Sir, no outsiders are allowed inside."

Sheldon pretended to clutch his stomach and said urgently, "I didn't see a restroom outside, so I thought there would be one inside."

But the person kept his hand extended, saying, "There's a restroom in the back. You can go there."

Sheldon nodded, thanked him, and headed toward the restroom. Since that person had already said it, Sheldon had no choice but to follow through.

As Sheldon walked, he noticed a window had been opened. Ordinary people wouldn't be able to access it, but he quickly scanned the surroundings to make sure he was in the clear, and with a quick push, he jumped up, grabbed the windowsill, and pressed down with all his strength.

He flew through the window and landed steadily on the ground inside. The inside of the ship was a stark contrast to the exterior, with many small, private rooms.

Just then, a sharp voice came from behind. "Who let you in?"

Sheldon turned to see a man in work clothes and a mask. He responded, "I have a friend inside, and the man at the door let me in to go find him."

The man frowned, peering through his mask. "Friend? Where is your friend? I'll take you to him."

Sheldon got closer as he said, "My friend is in..."

Before he could finish, he struck with a swift chop to the man's neck, knocking him unconscious.

He moved the man to a hidden spot and changed into his work clothes and mask. Then, he confidently continued walking forward.

Thanks to the mask, no one noticed the change. As Sheldon walked out, another masked person addressed him, "You'll need to do a round through the cabins later."

Sheldon nodded, his voice taking on a more serious tone, similar to the man he had just knocked out. "Got it."

He headed toward the ship's cabins, stopping at each one and looking inside. However, no one matched the description Wolf had given, making his heart sink.

Finally, at the last cabin, he spotted an old man inside, who, sensing his gaze, looked out the window and smiled at him.

Sheldon turned and left after a mere glance at him. He was certain this was the person Wolf had mentioned. Despite the door blocking the view, he could feel the old man's presence. He held a distinct air of authority—the unmistakable air of a former politician.

After Sheldon left, the old man's expression darkened, his eyes fixed on the retreating figure until he disappeared. He knew Sheldon had come for him.

The old man also knew that the ship's crew wouldn't bother checking on the rooms. While Sheldon hadn't shown any overt signs, the old man was able to deduce his intentions from that alone.

Sheldon, believing he hadn't been discovered, found a place to change out of his disguise and climbed back out through the window, pretending to be returning from the restroom. Meanwhile, the guard at the cabin didn't detect anything unusual.

When Sheldon passed the van, Wolf looked at him. Sheldon gave a subtle nod, signaling that he had found the old man Wolf had mentioned.

Wolf nodded in return. So, the old man was indeed there.

Back at the starting place, Sheldon quickly briefed the team on the situation. Then, he turned to the member who had been in contact with the others. "Has anyone in Havenia started the operation?"

The member nodded. "The operation has already begun at the ferry dock."

"Good. The man L described is probably the old man in the last cabin. He's wearing old-fashioned attire, with distinct wrinkles on his face, and he's about 5 feet 5 inches tall. You all keep an eye on him, especially when he disembarks."

The others responded, "Understood, Mr. Bridger."

...

Meanwhile, in the underworld, by the banks of the River of Forgetfulness, spirit energy thickened like an eternal veil, cloaking the bridge to hell.

Morna stood at the bridge's edge, her withered hand holding a bowl, its contents glowing with a faint, eerie light.

Her face was hidden in the shadow of her hood, making it impossible to see her features. Her movements were stiff, as if everything had been set in stone. She was saying the exact words and performing the same actions.

However, today was different. Her routine had been interrupted.

"Excuse me, could you help me out?"

The voice was very familiar, causing Morna to pause for a moment.

Clifton stepped forward to smooth things over. "She wants to find a spirit, and you're in charge of the River of Forgetfulness. Could you help her?"

"For love?" Morna's voice was ancient, flat, with no rise or fall in tone. She had seen countless love stories in her time. Every obsession that couldn't be let go eventually sank to the bottom of the River of Forgetfulness.

Wynter didn't deny it. "Yes."

At that moment, a pair of lovers who loved each other deeply arrived to cross the river. They had obviously just died. The woman was still scared, clutching the man's sleeve tightly. The man, also pale, looked at the scene, his clothes soaked through. It was clear they had drowned.

"Honey, I'm scared." The woman's voice trembled.

In response, the man comforted her, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. Everything's fine."

Then, he stepped forward. "Wait. Are you acting in a TV drama or something?"

Morna usually didn't speak to the spirits. Her job was simply to hand them a bowl of Erasure Brew and send them on their way.

But today, for some reason, she felt a bit dazed. She smiled and met the young couple's eyes. "No, it's not a drama. You're dead, and this is the River of Forgetfulness in the underworld. I should remind you not to look down into the river. There are evil spirits down there who never made it across the river."

"Hmm?" Wynter raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding what she meant.

Morna glanced at the woman lying on the ground, then helped her up. "Come on. Drink the Erasure Brew."

After that, the woman thanked Wynter without glancing back at the man.

At this, Morna's sense of familiarity grew stronger, as if a memory was trying to surface in her mind. "It's you! Have you forgotten me? I'm Desiree Pennoyer from Granville Village!

"Yes, I'm Desiree—no, that name is no longer mine. You gave me a new one and told me not to look back at the past."

Morna's hands trembled, as though she wanted to reach out and touch Wynter, but hesitated, afraid her current appearance would frighten her. "You're alive! It's really you! I knew it! I knew they couldn't kill you!"

Wynter was shocked as well. Her eyes widened as she looked at the woman. After all, back in Granville Village, Desiree had always appeared as a beautiful lady. Wynter had never imagined that Morna was the same person as Desiree.

But seeing a familiar face brought comfort to Wynter's heart, and she smiled, reaching out her hand to Morna and inviting her to touch it. She laughed lightly, as if at ease. "Yes, I'm still alive."

Morna grasped her hand with excitement. "I knew it! I knew the people from the sects couldn't kill you! I just knew it!"

Wynter felt the shift in her emotions. If Granville Village's spirits were still here, was it possible that Ailithir and her seniors were somewhere out there waiting for her as well?

Then, Morna's attitude suddenly changed as she continued, "Who do you need to summon? Your mentor isn't here—I can't sense him. Spirits can only be summoned in the underworld, but we also need to know their birthdates and horoscopes."

"I understand." Wynter looked at her. "Can you tell me why you're here?"

She was trying to piece together the clues.

Morna didn't hide anything. After Clifton dragged the man away, she began to recount her past.

"After Mt. Nyxvarn fell that day, my friends were restless in the underworld. We knew that because you took on too many personal burdens to save us, and the sects' methods were never aboveboard, they would seek revenge, so we wanted to do something for you.

"But we were just spirits and were no match for them. They forcibly erased our memories, and I was reborn as Nola Dotson, a woman who lost everything for a scholar's sake.

"By the time I reached the underworld, I vaguely remembered why I had been reborn—I was meant to find your spiritual form. They told me you wouldn't be reincarnated, but we didn't believe them.

"Then there was the young man who always followed you. I wanted to find him. If I could find him, I could restore your spiritual form.

"That was when I learned he wasn't a mortal but was the newly established Spirit King, known for his cruelty. They say he especially hates Mt. Nyxvarn, so I had no choice but to wander the underworld.

"It was the underworld's deity who enlightened me. He told me to wait here. One day, the person I was waiting for would cross this bridge again. As long as I stayed, there would be a glimmer of hope."

Morna laughed, as if she had just realized something, and her eyes glistened with tears. "So, I really did wait long enough—you've finally come. After all these years, I can finally repay the retribution you bore for us. My friends always felt guilty about what happened to you."

It was the underworld's deity who had asked her to wait here, which meant he had foreseen that Wynter would come to summon spirits.

Wynter respected the underworld's deity, as very few could say, "I will not become a god until the underworld is emptied."

He truly came to guide those who needed to cross the river and to resolve the world's injustices.

Wynter raised her hand to wipe away Morna's tears gently. "There's no need to feel guilty. But knowing it's you helping me, I can indeed rest easy. The person I'm looking for is that young man. He left a part of his soul fragment where he shouldn't have."